As Sexual Assault Awareness Month kicks off across the state of Michigan, University of Michigan students, community leaders and activists gathered in the Rogel Ballroom in the Michigan Union Wednesday night to stand against sexual violence in the 47th annual Take Back the Night rally and march. The event, organized by University Students Against Rape and the Standing Tough Against Rape Society, featured speakers and performances, as well as tables from various Michigan organizations connected with the cause.
Organizations present at the event included SafeHouse, the Sexual Assault Protection and Awareness Center, the Spectrum Center, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan and Fems for Dems. The event also featured performances by Sophia Von Stardust, artist and burlesque performer, and the Detroit Women’s Chorus, along with a children’s book reading by drag queen Perry Dox.
For the theme of this year’s rally, USAR and STARS chose to focus on the unique impact of sexual violence on members of the LGBTQ+ community. In an interview with The Michigan Daily before the event, LSA senior Courtney Banks, senior student leader of Take Back the Night, said she hoped the event would help expand the conversations around sexual assault to be more inclusive of all different identities.
“This year, we have decided to focus on the intersection between sexual violence and the LGBTQ+ community and how sexual violence can manifest differently in those communities,” Banks said. “We’re trying to broaden the scope of what people can think of as a survivor, who survivors can be and how it can be anyone of any gender identity and sexual orientation.”
Pamela Swider, community leader of Take Back the Night, opened the event. Swider said she hoped the event would serve as a safe space for those impacted by sexual violence.
“We as humans need others for support, and we also heal as we help others,” Swider said. “This is one of the most important aspects of events like Take Back the Night: being surrounded by survivors and allies who want to support one another.”
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor., was the first speaker of the event. Dingell expressed her dedication to the cause of ending sexual assault, specifically on college campuses.
“This is a fight we can never give up on and a fight that is, quite frankly, too personal for too many women,” Dingell said. “One in five women are sexually assaulted during their college years. … I have spent my life fighting violence against women, and I’m not going to stop until they bury me.”
Dingell said she hopes events like Take Back the Night will help encourage victims of sexual violence to share their stories.
“For too long survivors have suffered in silence (for) fear of retribution, attack on character, physical fear, and quite frankly, the lack of action is unacceptable,” Dingell said. “That’s why we are fighting here tonight.”
The keynote speaker of the event was activist Jey’nce Poindexter, vice president of the Trans Sistas of Color Project and a board member of the Michigan Chamber for Reproductive Justice. Poindexter said she chose to speak at Take Back the Night to inspire marginalized people to reach for leadership positions in which can create more change.
“I did not have a Black trans woman to look up to say, ‘That’s what I wanted to be,’” Poindexter said. “I was able to see that from my own strength, through my own lens, and I was able to achieve that.”
Poindexter also said it was important to think about the intersectionality of sexual violence and how some groups may be more at risk than others.
“I know how to fight and advocate for myself, most people don’t,” Poindexter said. “Particularly LGBTQ people, particularly LGBTQ people of Color, particularly Black LGBTQ people. With all of those identities and demographics, the realities of their existence and the navigation (of it), changes.”
Poindexter ended her talk by emphasizing the importance of equal rights for trans people. She said she does not want special treatment for members of the LGBTQ+ community, simply equal treatment.
“We don’t want special rights,” Poindexter said. “What I want is the same opportunity to show up, to exist, to thrive, to go after my dreams and goals. … All I need is for my humanity to be seen, acknowledged and respected for just what it is.”
After the rally, attendees participated in a march through streets around campus, ending back at the Union for a candlelight vigil in solidarity with everyone impacted by sexual violence. Banks told The Daily the march was to demonstrate solidarity with all survivors of sexual assault, even with those who may not feel ready to come to an event like Take Back the Night.
“Even if you’re not with us in person … we are still going to be out there marching with you,” Banks said. “Even if you’re not ready to get actively involved yourself, if you’re not at that stage in your journey, that’s OK. We see you and we hear you. You’re right there with us.”
Daily News Editor Mary Corey can be reached at mcorey@umich.edu.